Completely agree that had it been short, it'd be much more interesting as there are a lot of people who have interest in Japan, and they would love to read abou

Completely agree that had it been short, it'd be much more interesting as there are a lot of people who have interest in Japan, and they would love to read about those experiences you have. I doubt that the author is in any of the 'cultural shock' phases, as he starts the article by saying " I've lived in Japan for a long time ". Nevertheless, anybody living in foreign country with a different culture faces the trade-off between preserving their previous 'ways-of-doing' (cultural values, ways of behaving under various circumstances, etc.) and adjusting to the new culture (thus, changing yourself to some extent). So the office culture of Japan only seems to be one of these instances in the case of the author, and it also confirms what I've known about Japan. <i> "Why not "Tim-san"? I'm required to put "san" on the end of their names. " </i> From what I've heard (I've never been to Japan), Japanese don't attach '-san' to foreigners names'. But I have to say, I liked this :) - <i> " - ... This is just how we do things in Japan, Tim. - Well, [Name-removed]-san, you can try putting 'san' on the end of my fucking name from now on, then, you know, as practice. " </i>